22 Best Travel Gadgets For Your Next Trip

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As you are getting ready to pack for your summer getaway, shopping for father’s day gifts, or simply want to add a new gadget to your collection, make sure to check out our favourite travel gadgets this year. Each one offers a creative way to solve a travel challenge. We all know that when getting ready to head out on a trip, it’s extremely easy as a new traveller to get caught up in what to pack, especially in the travel accessories department. Packing for any kind of trip typically includes a bout of exhaustion. Not only do you have to remember everything you need, but you have to make sure it can all fit in your suitcase (and that the suitcase doesn’t weigh 50 kilos). But this doesn’t mean that you should leave your travel gadgets at home. Awesome electronics can enhance your trip by providing extra levels of convenience and comfort throughout your journey. Here is a list of travel gadgets that you would actually use on a vacation. They are small enough to fit in a compact packing space.

Some of them are just too fun to miss, others add extra convenience to our experiences, yet others open up new realms in the world of technology. These travel gadgets that have forever changed the way we experience the world are life-savers for today’s travellers.

Skip the travel socks this year, here’s stuff that will actually delight most hardcore travellers.

1.Noise cancelling headphones

There’s no question every traveller needs a good pair of noise cancelling headphones. They provide reliable protection from the inevitable aural assaults—whether it’s the overly chatty woman on seat 11A, or the toddler running through the aisles mid-flight, or the unpleasant aircraft noise. And Bose’s QuietComfort 25 blocks all of that. Even when you’re not in transit, they’re incredibly helpful: Wearing massive over-ear headphones is code for “I cannot be bothered at this very moment.”

2. Sandless beach mat

Calling all beach lovers! The Sandless Beach Mat is a revolutionary beach accessory that’s literally impossible to cover with sand. Initially intended for military uses, this clever sand-free groundsheet is perfect for a fun and stress-free beach outing. Finally, no more annoyingly sticky sand! Now you can make the most of your seaside experience while lounging in the warm sunshine, reading a book, or spreading out a picnic. Summer is approaching, you should have this travel gadget now.

3. Luggage Scale with Temperature Sensor and Tare Function

Never Pay Unexpected Overweight Baggage Fees Again with this cool gadget. Engineered with the latest generation of sensor technology, the Camry Digital Luggage Scale provides ultra precision to ensure accurate weighing. At only 3.2 ounces, this scale is easy to use and convenient to pack. In this way, you will never pay extra fees again.

4. Translators

Do you speak English? Well, now it’s not enough anymore. Star Trek fans may remember the universal translator, a fictional device that deciphers alien tongues into a user’s native language. Sigmo is a technology that exists IRL today; the successfully crowdfunded, portable gadget translates 25 languages in real-time.

Google Translate, which can be downloaded directly to your smartphone is another option for language translation. Although the new technology doesn’t seem to have all the bugs worked out when it comes to translating idioms or other colloquialisms, it may prove invaluable for simple commands and finding your way around a foreign city.

5. Luggage monitor

If you’ve ever dealt with the headache of lost luggage, the Trakdot Luggage Tracker is a worthy investment. Track your checked baggage anywhere your mobile phone works, and even receive text messages for peace of mind upon landing at the destination that alerts you to the status and location of your belongings.

6. Travel pillow

From inflatable air travel pillows to micro-bead cushions and travel pillows for back pain, there’s a bewildering selection of products designed to make your flight or car journey more comfortable. The top travel pillows are based on comfort, compactness, and value for money, and you can be sure to never have neck pain ever again.

7. Kindle or any type of e-book

Hey, cynics: People still read, turns out. And as a result, e-reader innovations are fast and furious.

For bookworms on the go, though, this is the best yet. Voyage has next-gen Paperwhite display (300 PPI!), 4 GB of local storage, a pressure sensor to let you turn pages without lifting a finger, a light that adapts to your environs — and it’s only 7.6 millimetres thick

8. Grid-It Organizer

Loose USB cords and small gadgets can be tough to keep organized in your bag. That’s why I slide this in the back of my backpack when carrying my essentials. They are great for keeping everything in one place and you can just take the whole thing out when you get to your destination and have everything you need right in front of you. Not only it’s good for flash drives but it will hold your external hard drive, camera, iPod, and anything else you want to put on it. There are many sizes, colours, and types to choose from.

9. Bags

There are no winners in the bag category for travel gadgets this year. This includes brands we’re currently testing like the Mineral, Tom Bihn and others. There was no standout.

10. Satechi Travel Router

This power adapter lets you convert to all the major plugs out there. It has two slots for USB charging and gets this, even turns into a router. Because when you get into the hotel, chances are you’ll have more than one doodah that needs a little bit of Internet juice. This is the best single-handedly travel gadget I own.

11. Vapour Eclipse Collapsible Water Bottle

Cut down on space with the Vapor Eclipse, which can be rolled up and stowed away until you need to fill it up. Great for yoga, the bus rides or the Andes. I’ve brought it to all three.

12. LifeStraw Go Water Bottle

LifeStraw is best known for its advanced filtering technology which will get rid of 99.9% of waterborne protozoan parasites and bacteria. These filters are regularly sent to third-world countries for aid. In the water bottle, LifeStraw implements the same technology into a portable container, making it a great option for places and countries where water quality may be questionable. This isn’t just filtering, it’s advanced filtering.

13. PackTowl Ultralite Travel Towel (Extra Large)

Douglas Adams said it best that a towel is the best tool in your arsenal to have. Step it up a notch with travel towels that dry effortlessly in hours and take up less space than your T-shirt. Do I need to remind you of the fact there’s a whole day devoted to it?

14. True Utility CashStash

I didn’t realize these pillbox key rings existed until several months ago. This basically allows travellers a safe place to store some backup cash in an inconspicuous spot. There are some other inventive uses without having to buy a CashStash, per se, but for something that fits the smallest budget without being too cheap, this fits the bill.

15. Mobile Foodie Survival Kit

Personally, I don’t like eating out all the time. The Mobile Foodie Survival Kit is for the serious gourmand and is perfect for vacation rentals, extended trips or even just cooking at another friend’s house. Need some oregano and cumin on the fly? No problem.

16. AeroPress Travel Kit

Coffee snob? A great travel gadget for the caffeine-addicted (and for those who can’t deal without their Blue Bottle). The only downside is that there are more moving parts than preferable but the upside is some truly spectacular coffee. And that’s something even I can’t argue with.

17. Bodum Stainless Steel Travel French Press

This is the better two-piece option for less discerning coffee drinkers for $20 less.

18. Luckies of London Scratch Map

Maps are a dime a dozen but the Luckies of London is a scratch-off map is something you can truly make your own. Scratch off where you’ve been—either by country or region—like a lotto ticket to reveal a burst of colour underneath. Mine hangs on my wall, taunting me about the places I haven’t been yet and reminds me that the world is a big, big place.

19. Carry On Cocktail Kit

Drink snobs should drink up. This cocktail kit describes exactly what it does: it’s a toolkit for boozing it up. It’s actually not the greatest gadget on the planet but it is definitely the perfect gadget for adding a little bit of spice to the holidays… and your plane flight.

20. Monster 4-Outlet Mini Power Strip

It’s basic, but a power strip is the master gadget simply because it charges the state-of-the-art devices you love where plugs are scarce. “At the airport, it means I can walk up to the person who is hogging the outlet, ask nicely if I can plug in my power strip, then plug in his device followed by mine,” said Cindy Richards, editor of TravelingMom.com. “In the hotel room, the power strip acts as a charging station. I have never left behind a power cord since I started carrying one.” Weighing about 1lb. and just over 6″ long, it fits nicely in your purse or carry-on.

21. Bluetooth speaker

Listen to music is always relaxing. Enjoy a good sound with Bluetooth speakers. They are easy to carry thanks to their small dimension and they have a high quality of the sound. They are perfect for getaway weekends or longer trips when you need to be extra careful with the numbers of the things you pack. Many of them are waterproof so you will want them if you are going to the beach. My favourites speakers are JBL because of their long-lasting battery, but you can find many good ones from different electronics companies.

22. Fitness watch and trackers

As a sports and nature lover, you will probably want to keep track of your activities and improvements. Whether you take few runs during your holiday, you go for a hike in the mountains, bike around the city or you are a gym-goer, this kind of gadgets help you check calories burned, the travelled distance, heartbeats and many more. Even if there are many apps for your smartphone, you will want a small device which you can easily take it with you everywhere, giving you the freedom to make sudden movements. I personally like watches and there are many types and styles out there that you can choose from.

At the end of the day, simple metrics that show you how much you worked out can make you feel much better.

Ranging from silly stocking fillers to useful travel items, these travel gadgets tackle problems that every traveller will recognize. Some of them just make us smile at their novelty, even if we won’t be using them. Oddly, no matter how ridiculous the items, they may still give you itchy feet for your next big trip.

So get ready and travel hassle-free with these cool gadgets and just enjoy time with your friends and family abroad.

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Gabriela Buzoianu

Gabriela joins the team's effort to build the most comprehensive platform with information about the logistics industry. We aim to provide high-quality content that can be useful for both B2B and C2C segments.